Touching Lace (Vaughn)

Nick just shook his head. “Blade, you really are crazy.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told that a time or two. So, you think I can talk to Lacey or what?”

It was his turn to chuckle. Blade wasn’t much for small talk, that much was for certain. How could the two of them even be related? Lacey was all breezy sunshine and Blade was a great big thundercloud. Amazing.

“Sure, I’ll go get her.”

Nick took the phone with him and went down the hall to the bathroom. He knocked once and called out, “Lacey, your brother is on the phone.”

She whipped the door open and asked, “Which one?”

“Blade.”

He started to hand her the phone when she stopped him with a whispered, “You didn’t tell him about us did you?”

That definitely wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “Are you ashamed?” His words matched her low tone as he sucked in a breath, not at all sure he wanted to hear her answer.

Her eyes softened and she reached to touch his cheek with her hand. “Not on your life,” she said. “But you know my family. They’ll drive us nuts with questions and meddling. Well-intentioned meddling, but still… I’d like to keep this just between the two of us. For now.”

He was beyond pleased that she had added for now. He bent down, placed a quick peck on her cheek then straightened.

“For now,” he reiterated, and handed her the phone.

He heard her say hello before he left her to deal with her brother in private. He had a breakfast to fix and a woman to woo.

She loved him. What was she supposed to do now?

The thought kept racing through Lacey’s mind from the moment she’d made love to him with her mouth. Like a schoolgirl, she’d retreated to the bathroom. Now, as she watched him happily walking off to do whatever, she knew there was no going back.

How in the world could she let herself fall in love with her best friend? He was only trying to help her, give her lessons on how to keep a guy from getting bored in bed, and she went and fell in love with the instructor. Not supposed to happen. The biggest reason behind all her failed relationships was that her heart hadn’t been in it. Obviously, since she’d been keeping it locked up for the one special man who would knock her on her ass. How was she to know the special someone was Nick? What a mess.

Turning her attention to the phone, Lacey said, “Blade, what’s going on? Is everyone okay?” Though Blade tended to keep odd hours, it was still unlike him to call her so early, and on a Sunday.

“Everyone’s fine except you. I’ve been trying to track you down.”

That meager statement was Blade’s way of saying, “Why aren’t you at home where you should be, safely tucked into your own bed?” But she was a grown woman, and Blade needed to get that through his thick skull.

“So you found me and I’m clearly fine,” she said irritably.

“Yeah, at Nick’s at six in the morning. He said you spent the night.”

She rolled her eyes. “Your point being?”

Blade laughed, “Don’t get all testy, sis. I was worried, that’s all.”

Now that did piss her off. “Worried? You know about Evan, too?” His silence filled her ear. Lacey nearly exploded. “Why is my personal life always front page news in this family? That’s what I’d like to know!”

“Whoa, Mom was concerned so she called me.” His voice was so tender that Lacey had a hard time being angry with him.

“Well, I’m fine. Nick’s been…taking very good care of me.” Wow, talk about hedging.

“So I gathered,” Blade growled.

Why, oh why couldn’t she have had sisters instead of brothers?

Lacey groaned in annoyance.

“Uh, look, that’s not the only reason I called.”